Biography

Sean Ryan resides in the City of Buffalo with his wife Catherine Creighton and their two daughters. Sean is a graduate of SUNY College at Fredonia and Brooklyn Law School, and is admitted to practice law in New York State.

Sean’s broad legal experience includes work for Neighborhood Legal Services, private law practice collaboration with the Learning Disabilities Association of WNY, concentrating on the rights of disabled students, and the Legal Aide Bureau of Buffalo. His legal career highlights include a record award for a victim of housing discrimination, a successful challenge to a school district’s denial of special education services to children enrolled in parochial schools, and an action to compel enforcement of Buffalo’s Living Wage Ordinance.

In 2008, Sean began working with People United for Sustainable Housing, Inc. to create a non-profit development entity called the Buffalo Neighborhood Stabilization Company, Inc. (BNSC). Sean served as the Executive Director and General Counsel of BNSC and worked to create a redevelopment plan for a section of the West Side of Buffalo. BNSC secured in excess of $3 million in funding for construction projects to turn vacant houses into affordable housing. Sean also created a land bank program to purchase and reuse vacant lots. The evidence of this work is visible throughout the Massachusetts Avenue Corridor. Sean secured a grant, “Gateway to Grant Street”, which provides $500,000 in funding to business owners along Grant Street.

Sean has served on the Board of Directors and has provided legal representation and guidance to numerous non-profit organizations including Buffalo Niagara River Keeper, Housing Opportunities Made Equal, Autistic Services Inc, Coalition for Economic Justice, and the City of Buffalo’s Living Wage Commission.